Skills

ADVISORS

TIMELINE

8 months

Final Products

new branding | Decision-Making Toolkit | EMployee-led prototype﻿

New Logo and Brand Identity

We designed a new logo, visual identity, and website mockup to reflect a more approachable brand based on shared values developed during PTG’s strategic workshop: Quality, Dependability, Community, Opportunity, and Sustainability.

A Decision-Making Toolkit

The “Idea to Action” toolkit incorporates design strategy and facilitation techniques to empower employees to collaborate with other team members, tackle key business challenges, and drive innovation.

Inventory Tracking Tool

We guided PTG’s office manager through the “Idea to Action” toolkit to prototype her own idea to optimize the business: a new tool to track linens, communicate with other teams, and surface customer issues.

Employees can scan QR codes on laundry bins that redirect them to a Google Form to track inventory status and record notes, all at no cost to PTG.

Research

Systems mapping | user interviewS

Understanding the Ecosystem

We began our design process by researching the competitive landscape of commercial laundry, mapping out PTG’s current organizational structure, and exploring opportunities for employee growth and development.

Competitive Matrix

PTG Organization Chart

Understanding the People

We interviewed 16 people, ranging from equity partners/owners to managers and service employees who handle driving, washing, folding, and packing services.

Our research revealed a misalignment in goals at each level of the organization and lack of a feedback system to communicate these discrepancies effectively.

Need for Organizational Redesign

PTG’s current structure is rigid and hierarchical. Strategy is reserved for leadership at the top and implementation is delegated to service employees at the bottom.

The ideal system: strategy, management, and implementation roles would move more fluidly throughout the organization. This would enable more communication across teams, leading to cross-functional collaboration and business innovation.

How might we co-design a system with PTG that empowers employees while driving business growth?

Process

facilitation | design strategy | prototyping

Facilitating a Workshop to Build Consensus

We convened PTG’s first strategic workshop to:

Develop a set of shared values

Co-create a decision-making process so all employees can participate

Develop an action plan to implement ideas to optimize and grow the business.

Designing a New Brand Identity

The 5 core values that emerged from the strategic workshop were then incorporated into a brand redesign to create a more professional identity across PTG’s website, signage, and marketing collateral.

Current Logo

Current Website

Proposed Logo, Branding, and Landing Page

Impact

Employee-Led Innovation

After learning the “Idea to Action” process, Joanna prototyped her own idea to improve communication and inventory tracking. The result: a communication board and QR-code inventory tracker linked to Google Forms. The solution leveraged existing tech at no cost to PTG.

Business Growth

I introduced PTG to a new hospitality client Sonder who specifically wanted to partner with “an organization that cares” about people, quality, and service. At the end of our work with PTG, Sonder signed on as a full-time client.

Joanna learns "Idea to Action" decision-making framework

Joanna brainstorms prototypes to improve internal communication

Prototype 1: Issues Board for Drivers

Prototype 2: QR Code Inventory Tracker

Reflection

We entered this project with the assumption that we could design a quick solution to empower employees.

Instead, our biggest learning came with the realization that we needed to design with the whole system in mind in order to have the greatest impact. The PTG system had its own set of institutional history and business constraints; it took time for us to build trust within PTG so we could co-design an effective solution together.